Your wedding can be an occasion of great ceremony and tradition, or it can make a dramatic statement about you, the wedding couple. Or it can be a more casual, intimate affair.

It can reflect your lifestyle - and be an   unusual, individual, or even bizarre event or one with a huge element of fun - after all it will be one of the happiest days of your life.

Newlyweds have been known to skydive out of a hot air balloon. Weddings have been performed under water, on horseback or in mid air - with theatricality or in plain clothes in a registry office.

Many couples plan theme weddings or even fantasy weddings. Traditional weddings such as a full nuptial mass are being overtaken by less formal weddings.

But the one thing that characterises even the most contemporary of wedding ceremonies is the old fashioned concept of marriage. And of course, the celebration of a great love.

People are thinking more seriously of the commitment involved in marriage. Couples wait longer before tying the knot, women are older before starting a family.

The day of the wedding is a cause for universal excitement and unforgettable happiness. It is a day to unashamedly take centre stage and enjoy yourself to the utmost. A day when the atmosphere is electric and the emotion is overwhelming. A day that?s perfect in every detail.

A contemporary wedding is often a mix of elements - tailored to the couple's requirements. For example a religious wedding can still be performed in a less formal garden setting.

Couples nowadays routinely omit the old fashioned ?obey? from their vows and family or spiritual traditions can be woven into an individually designed ceremony.

Rarely is tradition completely dispensed with. It?s rare to find a wedding lacking the words 'I do' or a bride who freely discards the superstition of 'something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue'.

A bride still usually wears white or cream. There's always a ring. There's always a kiss. And it's a rare wedding in which 'Here Comes the Bride' is not heard.

A highlight of any wedding is always the tossing of the bride's bouquet and it's hard to find a wedding that doesn't have a traditional wedding cake.

And there are other constants. Mothers of the bride always shed a tear and single best friends always wonder if they will be next to marry.

If you haven't already done so, announce your wedding to the world with an advertisement in your local or metropolitan newspaper. You should be able to find the relevant forms at your local newsagency. Traditionally the bride's parents pay for the engagement notice although couples may choose to pay for this themselves.